Overview of Thermochemical Liquefaction activities in Denmark and Finland

This report by Task 34 (Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction) provides an overview of research activities, demonstration activities and commercial applications of Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction of biomass in Denmark and Finland.

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Demark

National Policy framework

Denmark has no specific policy to promote bioenergy as such, but the Climate Act which passed through Parliament in 2019 called for a national strategy for “investments in green research, technology andinnovation”. This was published in 2020, giving rise to 4 national focus areas – so-called “Innomissions”: CCUS, green fuels, sustainable agriculture and circular plastic and textile use. In 2022, these focus areas were launched as missions with their own funding schemes and KPIs. MissionGreenFuels covers bioconversion technologies for fuels but no liquefaction projects are in the current portfolio.

The Danish Energy Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP) and Innovation Fund Denmark continue to support a wide range of sustainable energy related projects, including liquefaction.

Key research activities:

A number of different research activities are present in Denmark in the field of direct thermochemical liquefaction, ranging from pyrolysis to hydrothermal and solvothermal liquefaction. The focus is not only on fuel production, but also on the solution of process related issues, such as the valorization of process side streams

Stakeholders in research:

• Aalborg University
• Aarhus University
• Technical Universitiy of Denmark

Key domonstration activities:

From a commercial implementation standpoint, there are different companies active in demonstrating and commercializing DTL technologies, including pyrolysis and hydrothermal and solvothermal liquefaction. Their activities are often included in technological development programs, such as those funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) and the Development and Demonstration Program of the Danish Ministry of Energy (EUDP).  Together with the financial support of the European Union, they contribute sustaining the development of bioenergy and advancing technologies towards their commercial implementation.

Companies involved in demonstration projects:

• Steeper Eneregy ApS
• Circlia Nordif ApS
• Stiesdal
• Mask Makes
• Organic Fuel Technology

Finland

Stakeholders in Direct Thermal Liqufaction research and development:

• VTT
• Valmet
• Green Fuel Nordic
• Tampere University
• Åbo Akademi

Research Activities

• EU Circular Fuels 2023-2026
• BF Bio4all 2024-2026
• EU Bio Phenom 2024-2028
• EU BL2F 2020-2024
• EU Iceberg 2020-2024

Commercial applications

• Green Fuel Nordic
• Valmet

Jet-fuel samples obtained from HTL and biocrude hydroprocessing at Aalborg University.